A tale of the not-so-ancient Egypt
by E. Greyjoy
Summary: AU. Bill knows there must be some secret as for why Egypt feels so warm to him, and when he meets Fleur, a Veela who doesn't act like the rest of them, he knows it's because her warm magic was meant for him.


The land is dry and Bill can feel the heat of the earth burning his feet. He applies a weak charm to avoid burns, but apparently the magic of this land is much more powerful than he is. Concentrating a bit, he casts another spell. This time he focuses on the boots he's wearing. It doesn't help much, but he can feel relief on his feet. When he finishes his job, he will go to the Medical Spa of the hotel.

He puts his mind into his work, imbedding runestones with his magic to break them. Bill thinks the Egyptians of ancient times did complex works and wards, but not one of them ever thought what would happen if their wards were simply overcharged with energy.

It doesn't take long for him (and he's the only one working with this specific set of ruins) to break all the wards. Wiping sweat from his forehead, he casts a wide charm to alert anyone that this pyramid is already claimed by Gringotts. No one can enter now, unless they decipher the strange arithmetic and arithmantic combinations he created for this particular aspect of his job. It would take at least three hours for the average curse-breaker and he would have been alerted by then.

With a wave of his wand Bill puts the broken runestones into a chest and the rest of his things in a small (but magically extended) travel bag. He glances at the warm colored sunset, seeing the violets and oranges merge into a beautiful sight for him. With a sigh, he apparates away.

* * *

><p>Fleur stares from the balcony at the dimming light of the sky. The first stars appear in the still illuminated sky and she makes a wish.<p>

"I would like someone who can love me, with a love as pure as the moon and as deep as the ocean."

She knows it's silly for her, a Veela, to wish to the stars. More so wishing for love. Fleur does not fool herself, but she can dream. The words of her mother echoe in her mind, telling her to stop being childish and to start learning the strong magic of the Veela. She doesn't want that.

For as long as she can remember, and that means at least three hundred years, her mother has been insisting her to become what she became: the Veela Queen. Fleur knows her mother is fading and will soon die, leaving their hidden Queendom without a leader, for none of the Veela would follow Fleur without her allure.

"A Veela is worth nothing unless she can conquer and dominate the realm," she says, imitating the voice of her mother. "But a Veela without allure, is no Veela at all."

The thought of the allure sickens her. To be able to control the will of wizards (and even some witches) just to feed on their magic seems wrong to Fleur. She knows Mother Nature made their bodies that way, but she can't bear the thought of taking the magic from an innocent wizard just to prove their strenght! Veela can live of sunlight and feed of the Sun-Lily's magic and everything would be fine for them. Fleur knows because that's what she's been doing for the past two hundred years.

But her mother disagrees, and with her the rest of the realm. They take pride on their abilities and encourage the younger Veela to do it too, but Fleur has never fallen for those selfish beliefs. If she can live without a clan of wizards too feed off, she will.

* * *

><p>Bill feels his feet get progresively better as the petite redhead witch heals them with a strange magic, different from that of the Healers' he knows. He admires how the lilac tendrils of magic leave the witch's hands and cure his feet. In his whole life he's never seen something like this, and he already has seen the curing process of an acromantula bite, done by Brazilian wizards.<p>

"Will you be here for a long time, sir?" asks the witch with a notable accent. He doesn't really want to talk to her (or to anyone else, for that matter), but it is only polite to answer her.

"For a few months," he says. "Until the excavation ends."

He stares at the magic again and wonders if he'd be able to learn that kind of healing. Maybe that would help the Healers of St. Mungo, but Bill doubts the secretive Egyptians would consent to teach him (or the Healers) their magic.

"What do you look for?" asks the witch.

He takes his time to answer, thinking that maybe she would understand his need for silence that way.

"Treasures" is his only answer.

This time, the witch asks nothing more and Bill can concentrate on himself and the magic surrounding him. Of all the places he's been in, Egypt has the warmest magic. Bill knows it's not just the heat of the sun, but of the whole land. There must be a reason for that. He wonders if the excavation on the pyramid ruins would shed some light on that.

Maybe there is a dragon sleeping under the ruins, exhaling fire and magic with each snore, heating the whole Egypt. He remembers reading something like that happened in México, with a giant feathered serpent which had slept in the ruins of the Aztec civilization for centuries until the Spanish colonizers woke it up. It flew into the clouds and nobody saw it again.

"All finished, sir."

Bill stands up and pays the girl before walking out of the purple room.

The next stop for him is the small restaurant of local food, where he dines alone. He watches as some of the excavators eat together a few tables away, and even notices when one of the linguistic witches waves her hand, calling him. He only smiles to her, not wanting to be with them.

Bill likes them, of course, but he doesn't feel like socializing with anyone since his arrival, two days ago. Egypt was warm, but for some reason his heart felt colder.

Once in his bed, Bill thinks about himself. He is twenty-five years old and hasn't found a witch to love. In London, that's all right; but here he feels the loneliness eat his soul.

* * *

><p>The Queen just talked to her again, trying to make her understand what she's missing on. Fleur hears, but never lets herself be convinced by her mother's words. She is certain the Queen is wrong.<p>

Even if she doesn't use her allure, Fleur likes to practice using her magic. Nothing more relaxing after a conversation with her mother than burning a few foreign plants.

She doesn't understand why many people (mostly non-magic women) try to keep foreign plants here. They don't understand how they hurt Mother Nature with that; it's almost as if they told her she is wrong in what she does! Fleur keeps burning them with only a glance and marvels at her power. Her race was created for preserving the warmth and heat of this magic-filled land, just as the Sirens were created to keep the seas alive.

While she makes the plants dry, she marvels at how humans don't notice her. They are too preoccupied with their thoughts of war and conquer (just like her own realm), of riches and sex, to pay attention to nature. Fleur lets a tear of sand run down her cheek.

Mother Nature dies, and her children only care about themselves. She, herself, tries to care for her creator (because even if she is made of magic, she is nature), but sometimes fail.

Fleur decides to do something more today. She knows Xanthe and Ianthe, the Veela in charge of the ruins, would not mind if she decides to start their job. After all, they are too busy feeding on their current wizard and wouldn't stop until he was left for dead in the Nile.

She touches the hot stone of the old pyramid and pushes her soul into it. Fleur feels when the soul of many other Veela (who had tended to the pyramid before), enters her body and transform into her. Just as the last bit of renewed magic is pushed into her body, she notices something else.

There is a new magic there, and she can sense it belongs to a wizard. She has felt their magic before, and knows wizards are not always warm and pure, but this one is. Fleur feels her magic pulsating inside her, wanting to devour the wizard.

She gasps, but doesn't let her want overcome her. She is in control of her body.

After a few seconds, she calms down. Fleur sits on the hot ground, which feels only a tad warm for her, and realises for the first time in her life what her mother means.

"I can't let this control me," she repeats for herself, her blue eyes closed. "I won't hurt the wizard, I won't, I won't."

Fleur thinks of all the times she was ordered by the Queen to feed on a wizard, but she never felt this before. This desire of consuming the magic, the life, of someone had never been as strong as this.

"Are you all right, miss?" asks a voice. It's not from here, she can tell for the language. English, if she is not mistaken. But that's not what startles her.

"You left your magic here," she says to the young man without opening her eyes. She is still vulnerable to her instincts and fights to control them. "I was just overwhelmed by it."

_Try it harder, Fleur, you can't consume his magic._

* * *

><p>Bill frowns in confusion at the words of the beautiful woman. He knows he has a strong aura, many people have told him, but this is the first time someone claims to be overwhelmed by his magic.<p>

Focusing, he calls for all his magic to return to his body and watches as the blond woman slowly recovers her breath.

"Are you okay, now?" he asks, extending his arm to her and hoping she will take his hand. But she doesn't even look up to see him.

"I will be, once I'm away from your magic."

Bill is even more surprised. Does his magic make her sick? He has never read or heard of something like this before, and that's saying something because he has always taken a certain pride on his arcane knowledge.

"I'm sorry to cause you troubles, miss, but I work here and I cannot leave," he tells her, concern and curiosity on his voice. "You will have to go, instead."

She raises her head for the first time and Bill feels his soul trying to reach her. If he wasn't excellent at keeping his magic contained (he had to learn for his job), it would have flared like never before.

He sees her cerulean eyes, as bright as the sky when the sun is up, and marvels at the magic he can see in them. Her porcelain skin and her fair hair (like sunshine through a window) tell him she is not from here. She doesn't have the tanned skin and brown eyes of the locals. Bill watches her fiery lips and can't pinpoint the color but he doesn't care if they are pink or orange or red; he just knows they taste like fire.

"Who are you?" he asks, kneeling in front of her. He doesn't know why she's trembling, as if holding back from something. "What are you? You can't possibly be human."

She doesn't answer and leans forward, her pupils dilating as he touches her face. He can feel heat coming through her skin but he knows he won't get burned. A smell of sweet desert flowers reaches him and without doubt he knows it comes from her magic.

* * *

><p>"I'm a Veela," says Fleur, without thinking. She knows it's betrayal to reveal her nature to a wizard, but she doesn't care. If he wants to call their government and hunt them, the Queen and the rest of the Veela would kill them without problem. They are stronger than wizards.<p>

"Veela?"

Fleur knows his senses are dulled by her allure and tries to restrain it. She won't give into her wants. She is stronger than her instincts! But the magic of this wizard is so close to her own, and she feels very tempted to devour it. 'He'll die if you do it', a voice says inside her mind, and she fights back even harder.

"Yes, wizard," she says, supressing her allure as much as she can.

The wizard's blue eyes shine in understanding and Fleur smiles. She did it! She controlled her power!

"You are supossed to be extinct," he tells her with surprise. "but I know you are real You're magic turned fire."

Fleur smiles again. While this isn't the first wizard she mets, he's the first one to say that many words to her before turning into a mindless carcass of magic. He is stronger than many wizards.

"Will you keep my secret, wizard?" she asks. She might be controlled, but Fleur needs to get out of there before his magic continues to tempt her. His nod is enough for her to know he won't talk about their meeting.

"I won't forget you, wizard."

She stands up and takes a few steps away from him before revealing a pair of harpy-like wings and rising in the air, leaving him alone in the shadow of the crumbling pyramid.

That night, while laying in her bed of sand and molten glass, she thinks of the wizard.

His hair is long and red, kissed by fire, and his eyes the color of the Nile. She was sincere when she told him she wouldn't forget him. How could she, when his magic still resonated in her soul?

After trying to meditate for a while, Fleur gives up. She needs to see the wizard again.

Without alerting anyone, she sneaks out of their lair and flies to where his magic pulsates.

* * *

><p>Bill keeps on exploring the pyramid alone. He doesn't want anyone to mess with the magic of the place and bringing all kind of curses above him. His magic is erratic enough to be a treath, he doesn't need any one else making it worse.<p>

Since meeting that Veela girl a month ago, his magic had been restless. He knows she is dangerous for him, as all Veela are for wizards, but she let him leave. They feed on the magic of wizards, but that Veela with blond hair and blue eyes let him go. He doesn't know why, but he will discover it.

'But not now', Bill says to himself. 'Now I need to find the origin of this enchantment.'

Said enchantment had been giving strong headaches to all the excavators (but not to him, surprisingly enough), and it must be taken down before someone dies from the pain.

He keeps looking for it, dismantling weak charms and stopping jinxes from hurting him. Most of the time he doesn't even have to raise his wand, as his magic lashes out to the treath before he can control it.

Bill takes advantage of his hypersensitive magic doing all on its own, and his thoughts deviate to the Veela again. He is no fool, and knows she is one of a kind. No other Veela would have given up to fresh, strong magic like she did.

But he doesn't try to fool himself. The real reason of why he thinks of her is not his curiosity, but his infatuation. He is not ashamed to accept it: he's in love with a Veela who let him live, and he's an idiot for being so.

"You better step away from that statue."

Bill turns around, wand in hand and ready to defend himself. He is surprised when the Veela is there. He remembers her discomfort at his magic and tries to sumbit it, amazing himself at the ease of the task. After a month of having trouble controlling it, he does so without thinking and wonders if her presence has something to do with it.

"It has a curse."

She says again, and Bill nods. A few waves of his wand later, the statue is free from any curse.

"Thank you, miss," he says to the girl without taking his eyes away from hers.

Bill watches as she gets closer to him.

"Will you tell me your name this time?" he asks.

The Veela smiles, and for the first time Bill sees her amazingly white and sharp teeth.

"I'm called Fleur, wizard," she tells him. "My task is to keep desert plants alive and to kill the foreign ones."

"Well, that explains many things, Fleur," he says chuckling. Indeed, that explains why many people had failed to grow the plants they need in the country. "Why did you let me go, Fleur?"

He can see her smile falter, but doesn't try to take back his question.

"I don't believe in feeding from wizards," answers Fleur. "Besides, I think you are quite charming, wizard."

He laughs and closes the space still between them. "My name is Bill, Fleur, not 'Wizard'."

She laughs at his words. "Very well, Bill" she says. "Why didn't you alert your people?"

Bill frowns. "I didn't want them to hunt you."

Fleur looks at him. He doesn't stare at her like the rest of the men she knows. He's calm and not trying to sell her for gold.

"You're different," she says.

"You're the Veela who didn't eat my magic away."

They stare at each other for what seems an eternity.

"How could I? That would be killing you and I wouldn't like that."

Bill keeps looking at her. That doesn't answer his question and, in fact, creates many more. Maybe she likes him. Or maybe she just doesn't want to kill anyone. Either way Bill knows she's completely different from any other woman, Veela or witch. He could spend nights and days pondering about it and never come to a conclussion, but that's not him at all. He decides to do what he's best at: taking risks.

"I'll be honest with you, Fleur," he starts saying with a sparkle in his eyes. "I think I'm infatuated with you."

The Veela girl opens her eyes wide, blushing in surprise. Bill lets a small chuckle escape from his mouths. If somebody had told him about a blushing Veela he wouldn't have believed them. Still, Fleur's cheeks are rosy and her lips tremble slightly.

"You can't love me," she tells him, but Bill notices it's out of uncertainty instead of rejection. "Veela don't love wizards. It's not in our nature."

He can't stop himself as he gets near her, raising his hand to her face and caressing her lips.

"Maybe Veela can't love," he says, "but I'm sure Fleur can."

Fleur smiles at him, her eyes shining with happiness. "Then I'll love you, Bill," she promises before kissing his lips. Bill marvels at the feel of her tongue and lets his magic cover her completely. He might be putting himself in danger doing that, but he needs to know if Fleur can control herself.

He suddenly hears her giggling on his mouth and separates from her.

"Your magic tickles," she tells him, "and it makes me want to stay with you forever."

He laughs and embraces her, feeling her own warm magic clashing with his. Maybe that's why Veela eat away wizard's magic. Maybe they've been feeling a need for the wizard and think that consuming his magic and life would calm the feeling.

"I can't promise forever, Fleur," Bill tells her, not caring if he sounds overly dramatic or cheesy. "But I'll be with you until you allow me."

* * *

><p>Three months have passed and Fleur is happier than ever. She and Bill have been meeting almost every day, after he finishes his job and she dries flowers. She doesn't know how can he make her happy, but she is sure nobody will ever compare to him.<p>

"Fleur," says suddenly a stern voice, bringing her out of her thoughts. "Is it true what Xanthe told me? Are you seeing a wizard, romantically?"

The Queen's voice sounds dangerous and Fleur knows she's in trouble. She immediatly regrets the last three months, thinking now her mother will seek Bill to kill him.

"We were not created for this, Fleur. You must take his magic and leave him to die," says the Queen to her daughter. "Either you fix this, or I do."

"Yes, mother."

The Queen looks at Fleur with suspicious eyes, but the young Veela remains dauntless.

"You have until tomorrow night, Fleur."

As the Queen leaves her small room, Fleur's magic palpitates harshly. She can't let her mother murder Bill! And she would definitely not allow his magic to be eaten away. Sand tears escape her eyes, but Fleur doesn't cry out.

She doesn't want Bill dead, that's true, but to be away from him is not an option. Not now that he is living proof that a Veela can love and be loved.

Fleur thinks of a plan. They will escape.

That night, when they meet, Fleur doesn't wait for greetings. If they fail on this, they would have no time for anything, but if they succeed in getting away from her mother, eternity would be theirs.

"My mother knows I haven't taken your magic," she tells Bill. "We need to get away from this land. We need to go somewhere else where we can live together."

Bill doesn't understant the gravity of the situation, and Fleur tries to explain it to him. She needs to make him understand. She needs him to be safe.

"She'll take your magic for herself, if I don't do it."

That makes him nod with seriousness.

"I'll need to resign," he says. "But after that we can go anywhere. We can go to my home in London."

Fleur shakes her head. "It would be hard for me to live there, love. I need the warmth of a sun-bathed earth."

Bill looks thoughtful. His frown makes Fleur think how adorable he looks, but this isn't the time for that.

"México!" says Bill after a few seconds. "I worked there for two weeks last year. It's warm and I can work at the ruins there."

Fleur smiles and hugs him. "Lets get ready, then."

Bill wastes no time and takes parchment and a quill, handing them to Fleur.

"Here, write what I'll tell you" he starts. "Giantfang, I need to flee and will meet with you later, plea-"

"I don't know how to write," she interrupts him, giving him the tools back.

He promises to teach her how to do it when they have time, and writes the message himself. With a wave of his wand, the parchment folds into an airplane and flies away.

"That'll do," he says. "Giantfang will take care of my stuff and I'll pick it up at London when you are safe. Let's get out of here, so we can get a portkey with the British Embassy."

The hold each other hands and turn around to leave their secluded spot, but are surprised when the Veela Queen appears in front of them.

"How sad," starts to say the Queen. "Would you really leave without telling your mother, Fleur?"

Bill tries to put Fleur behind him, but she is the one shielding him with her slender body.

"We'll leave," she says. "You can tell everyone how you took his magic and I turned to sand, just let us go and we'll never bother you, mother."

The Queen laughs darkly.

"Why would I let you go? I need to teach you a lesson, Fleur. It's time you learn how a Veela acts. It's time you become what you are fated to be: a Queen, just like me."

When she finishes saying those words, the Queen extends a hand towards Bill and Fleur gasps. Bill starts yelling as the Queen feeds on his magic.

Fleur shoots fireballs at her mother, trying to make her let go of Bill's magic, but she is too weak to even tickle her.

"You either let me get his magic, or you take it for yourself!" yells the Queen at Fleur.

She looks at Bill and sees his pain. In a moment, his eyes are on her and she understands what he's trying to say.

Fleur concentrates on Bill's magic and summons it to her, wrapping it with her own magic and pulling towards her soul. She is delighted at the feeling of his magic finally becoming one with hers, but sand tears start to fall from her eyes. Slowly, Bill stops contorting and she knows he's dead.

She screams at his body, telling Bill to come back, but it's useless.

"You will feel better in the morning, dear," says the Queen, patting Fleur's head as if she were a small pet, but Fleur is too shocked at what she did to care about her mother. "I'll meet you at home," says the Queen before vanishing in a swirl of flames.

Fleur stays there, crying sand over Bill's body. She feels unable to live, even if her body is full of magic.

"Push your magic into him, girl."

She turns around, startled by the airy voice. There, hiding behind the ruins Bill has been working on, is a Sphinx.

"What?" she asks, unable to understand.

The Sphinx looks at her sadly, waving her tail as she walks forward. "You absorbed his magic, but you can give it back to him. It's not too late, yet."

Fleur doesn't know if what the Sphinx says will work, but she is willing to try anything just to have Bill back with her. Channeling her magic to her lips, she kisses his still warm lips, pushing as much of her as she can, filling him with warmth.

She suddenly feels him kissing her back and her magic flows even more to him, leaving his skin on fire, but never burning him.

When she finally feels tired and exhausted, she separates her lips from his, but stays in the floor with him.

"I thought I'll loose you."

Bill tightens his grip on her, marveling at the feeling of their mixed magic.

"I told you Fleur," he tells her, his breath warm on her temples. "I'll stay with you until you want me no more."

She smiles and kisses him again.

Then, she remembers the Sphinx and faces it.

"I owe you my soul," Fleur tells the creature. "Say your price and I'll pay it."

The Sphinx smiles sadly at her. "Then leave before the Queen knows he's alive", it says. "It's not everyday that one of my kind learns something new, and you taught me something today."

Both Fleur and Bill stare at the Sphinx. "What did you learn?" Bill asks.

The Sphinx looks at them, smiling.

"That a Veela can love."

* * *

><p>For the Ultimate OTP competition, using the prompt AU: Fairytale<br>Also for the If you dare Challenge, using the prompt 366: México  
>And for the Music Appreciation Challenge with the song: Kill the Sun, by Xandria [Album: Kill the Sun]<p> 


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